The Big Bad Nietzchean
by shastalily
Summary: Trance runs into someone called the Big Bad Nietzchean. Is she really in danger or is the Nietzchean more than he appears to be?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**: The characters (except for certain aliens) do not belong to me. They belong to whoever owns the rights to Andromeda._

* * *

**The Big Bad Nietzchean**

**Chapter 1**

Somewhere in the depths of space, there was a little purple girl named Trance. She wouldn't tell where she came from, but anyone who laid eyes on her couldn't help but love her. She lived on a ship called the _Andromeda Ascendant_, and the captain and crew were her friends.

One day, when the _Andromeda _was near a planet, Trance's friend Harper asked her to go down to the surface of the planet and get him some more of his favorite Sparky Cola. He was the ship's engineer; he had too many repairs to do and wasn't able to leave his work. Before Trance left the ship, Captain Dylan Hunt, who was like a father to her, called Trance to his office. His vivid blue eyes were filled with concern. He gave her a big hug, and said, "Trance, I know you're a capable young woman... but I worry about you. You're so sweet that I'm afraid that someone will take advantage of your kindness. Won't you take someone with you? I know that Tyr loves you as if you were his sister... He'd go with you."

Trance sighed. "Oh Dylan... Thank you for your concern, but I will be okay by myself. I've told you that I can see possible futures. The thing most likely to happen is that I will make a new friend."

"Okay Trance, but be..."

"Careful... I know, Dylan... I will... Bye."

"Bye, Trance."

Trance piloted a shuttle to the planet's surface, and went to the shop where the Sparky Cola was sold. She asked for the Sparky to be delivered to her shuttle, but before she left, the shopkeeper said, "Wait! Watch out for the Big Bad Nietzchean."

"Who's that?" asked Trance.

"He's big and scary," replied the little man, looking nervously back and forth.

"What does he do?" asked Trance, looking puzzled.

"I don't know," said the man. "I just know that he's scary."

"Okay," said Trance politely.

Trance continued on her way back to the shuttle, but it took some time because everyone she met warned her about the Big Bad Nietzchean. '_Boy_,' she thought, '_the people on this_ _planet are awfully nervous_.'

Suddenly, Trance was confronted with a gang of very nasty looking aliens. They looked rather like lobsters with legs, and they were attempting to beat up a tall dark-haired man who was dressed entirely in black. He was obviously Nietzchean, and was using his bone blades and various martial arts techniques to fight them off, but they were slowly overpowering him. Trance pulled out her force lance and hollered, "Yee Hah!" She was able to knock one of them unconscious and throw the others off balance, allowing the Nietzchean to regain control of his situation. He knocked out two of the lobster-men, and the other two ran away to secure help. "We'd better get moving," said the man, "before they bring their friends."

"Okay," said Trance with a smile. As they moved away from the scene of the fight, she introduced herself. The man stopped, and made a sweeping bow. "My lady Trance... My name is Gaheris Rhade. I thank you for your assistance in my ... disagreement."

Trance giggled. "Please call me Trance... And it looked like more than a disagreement, Mr. Rhade."

Rhade grinned, and said, "Just Rhade. They wanted to rob me... I disagreed... I call that a disagreement."

Trance looked at him curiously, and asked, "Do you know why everyone is warning me about the Big Bad Nietzchean?"

Rhade's dark eyes sparkled with merriment. "The people of this planet are a very nervous race. I was in a bad mood when I got here, and growled at a shopkeeper. They've called me the Big Bad Nietzchean ever since."

"Does that make me 'Little Purple Hood'," she asked, pointing to her purple cape. Rhade burst out laughing, and tweaked Trance's cheek. "I like you, little one. I wouldn't mind following you to 'Grandmother's house'."

"You can't follow me to 'Grandmother's' but you can go back to the _Andromeda_ with me."

"The _Andromeda_?" Rhade paled, and looked like he had seen a ghost.

"That's where I live. Are you okay?" Trance asked, touching his arm in concern.

"Yes, I'm alright. I just... I thought that the _Andromeda_ was destroyed 300 years ago."

"It was caught in an event horizon... Dylan, the captain, was frozen in time. My friend Beka's ship, the _Eureka Maru_, pulled the _Andromeda_ away from the event horizon, and Dylan woke up. We're all one crew now. Dylan wants to put the Commonwealth back together, so that's what we're trying to do."

"I would like to meet him. Is that possible?"

"Of course, Rhade. You can come to the ship with me... but there's something else isn't there?"

Rhade looked down at the small purple girl whose pointed ears and tail made her look like such a sweet, innocent creature. However, the look in her deep brown eyes told him that she had the discernment of one much older. "There **is** more, but I promise that I mean no harm to Dylan, or anyone else on the _Andromeda_. I'll explain when we get there... when I see Dylan."

"You **know** Dylan, don't you?" asked Trance, with a look that said she wasn't surprised at this piece of information.

"It's hard to explain right now... but yes, I do know him."

"Well, let's go, then," said Trance, leading the way to the shuttle. Loading the Sparky Cola, they took off for the _Andromeda_.

Dylan was waiting for Trance in the docking bay when she returned. Rommie, the _Andromeda_'s human relations avatar, had read Nietzchean life signs in the shuttle, and Dylan was extremely worried about Trance. '_Maybe she's a hostage_,' he thought, while he paced up and down.

When the door of the shuttle slid open, Trance jumped out and waved at Dylan. Then she turned to the person following her. "Dylan," she said, "This is Gaheris Rhade." Instead of the standard greeting expected from the captain of the _Andromeda_, Dylan's hard fist met Rhade's jaw, knocking the Nietzchean to the floor.

**-TBC-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The two men sat in Dylan's office. Dylan was scowling across the table at the Nietzchean, who was sporting a rapidly darkening bruise on the side of his jaw. "I know why I'm still here 300 years later," snarled Dylan. "But why are **you** here, and how did you meet Trance?" Touching his jaw gingerly, Rhade replied, "I met Trance by accident. I was fighting a few too many aliens, and she helped me out."

"Trance likes to help people," said a frustrated Dylan, "whether they deserve it or not. Whyare you on my ship?"

"She invited me to come back to the _Andromeda._ When I heard you were alive... I wanted to see you... to talk to you."

"You betrayed me."

"Captain... Dylan... I need to explain."

"Fine... Explain," said Dylan, folding his arms and resting them on the table in front of him.

"First... I'm still alive because I was caught in the event horizon, the same as you were, but I was closer to the outer edge and my escape pod drifted out a year before the _Andromeda_ was rescued. And, second... I never wanted to betray you. You were my best friend... I was looking forward to being your best man... I would never have betrayed you of my own free will."

"But you did.... didn't you?"

"No, Dylan... I didn't. Do you remember that I was on shore leave just a month before my so-called betrayal?"

"You went to Vega Prime for advanced weapons training."

"That's what **I** thought, but someone there did something to me. The nanobots in my Nietzchean blood fought against it, so I could feel something was wrong. After I tried to kill you, my nanobots finally neutralized whatever had been to me. If you scan me with the equipment in Medical, you should find some residual evidence of tampering in my brain."

Dylan sighed heavily, running his fingers through his light brown hair. "Okay... The Rhade I knew would never have betrayed me, Nietzchean or not. Let's go to Medical."

* * *

Rommie and Trance proceeded to scan Rhade's brain with all the equipment at the _Andromeda_'s disposal. Trance put her hand lightly on Rhade's shoulder and said quietly, "Everything will be alright, Rhade."

"Thank you for trusting me, Trance. It means a lot to me. I've been alone for a long time."

Trance smiled at Rhade, and winked. "No problem, Mr. Big Bad Nietzchean."

Rhade grinned at her comment, as he closed his eyes in preparation for the next test.

Dylan came into Medical when all the tests on Rhade had been analyzed. Rommie gave him a report of their results. "First of all, the man who has presented himself as Gaheris Rhade, is who he says he is. He is not a clone, or an advanced type of AI. And, the scans of his brain reveal a foreign object was implanted about 300 years ago. It also shows that the nanobots in his blood did indeed fight the process, and ultimately neutralized the implant. Trance and I have safely removed it for further study."

"Thank you, Rommie and Trance. Do you feel like walking, Rhade?"

"Of course."

* * *

For a time, Rhade and Dylan walked the corridors of the _Andromeda_ in silence. One was trying to figure out how to apologize, while the other was familiarizing himself once again with the ship's layout. Dylan broke the uncomfortable silence. "How can I apologize to you, Rhade? I tried to kill you 300 years ago. How do we start over?"

"I tried to kill **you**, Dylan. Even if I didn't want to do what I did, we're starting over in the same place."

"I guess that makes sense," said Dylan, as they stopped in front of Rhade's old quarters. Rhade raised one eyebrow as he looked inside. "Everything's the same... I couldn't seem to get rid of your stuff..." Rhade smiled at his old friend, and reached out his hand to Dylan. Dylan grasped Rhade's hand, and shook it firmly. "I'm glad you're back."

"So am I," said Rhade quietly.

"I have to go to Command, now... Do you still remember how to play basketball?"

"I remember how you cheated," said Rhade with a smirk.

"I think that was you," said Dylan, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Perhaps," said Rhade cheerfully. "It does make it more fun."

"Do you want to play after I'm off duty...A couple hours from now?"

"Sounds fine."

After Dylan left, Rhade decided to change into some casual clothes that were stored in his old quarters. He then went off to search for Trance, whom he found quite fascinating for a non-Nietzchean.

**-TBC-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After checking Medical, Rhade found Trance on Observation Deck. She was sitting on a bench with her knees drawn up to her chest, and her arms wrapped around her knees. She seemed oblivious to her surroundings, and Rhade was about to leave her to her solitude, when suddenly Trance turned to him and asked, "May I speak to you, Rhade?"

"Of course, Trance," he replied, concerned at the expression on her face.

"You know that we were going to study the implant that we removed from you, right?"

"Yes... did you find out something?"

"I found out that... that one of my people did this to you. The implant is something that my people created."

"Where do you come from?"

Trance looked down, and quietly said, "We, my people that is, are not allowed to tell outsiders where we come from...Not without our leader's permission. I **can** tell you that we are sent out to all parts of the galaxy in order to help people." Tears stood in her eyes as she looked back at Rhade. The person who has done this is the only one in our people's history that has deliberately harmed someone... I'm so sorry, Rhade... I won't blame you for hating me." Trance finally broke down in tears, and started to run from the Nietzchean, who had been silent throughout her story.

Rhade caught the distraught girl, and held her gently but securely in his strong arms. "Look at me, Trance," he said very quietly. Trance looked up into his dark eyes as he continued, "I could **never** hate you, little one and I don't blame you for anything. I am very sorry that one of your own people betrayed you like this, but what this person did, is in no way your fault. They made their own choice in this matter. Don't feel guilt for something that was done 300 years ago. Just think about it, Trance... If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't be still alive and we would never have met. I, for one, am not willing to be sorry for that." As he said this, he used his right hand to gently wipe her tears away.

"Thank you, Rhade... for making me feel better," Trance said shyly, embarrassed at her tears in front of this strong man. "I'm glad we met, too."

"If you need to talk some more, you know where to find me. Don't be sad all alone, purple girl," he said with a tender smile.

"Okay," said Trance. "I'd better go back to Medical, now."

"May I escort you, my lady?" asked Rhade, holding out his arm. "Yes, my lord." Rhade raised one eyebrow and smiled at her. "My lord?"

"Well, what else should I call you? Big Bad Nietzchean isn't right. You are big," she said, eying him with a blush, "but you aren't bad. You're the kindest man I've ever met."

As they walked, Rhade bent his head close to Trance's ear, and whispered, "Thank you, Trance. I'm glad you feel that way about me, but you, and only you, can call me the Big Bad Nietzchean anytime you feel like it. From **your** lips, it's a compliment. By the way, I think you're quite wonderful yourself." Trance's eyes grew wide, and she turned a brighter purple, the sight of which Rhade greatly enjoyed. They stopped at Medical and said good-bye. Trance needed to work, and it was nearly time for Rhade to play basketball with Dylan.

* * *

Weeks passed, and Dylan and the crew seemed to grow more and more comfortable with Rhade's presence aboard the _Andromeda_. A month after finding Rhade, Dylan called his senior staff together and announced his intention of offering Gaheris Rhade the position of Strategy and Weapons training officer. His staff agreed wholeheartedly with his decision, and Dylan approached Rhade with the proposal. Rhade agreed to stay, and gladly undertook his new position. Rhade also took advantage of the opportunity to deepen his relationship with a certain young woman. 

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Several weeks after Rhade had begun his new duties on the _Andromeda_, he and Trance had developed a close friendship. Trance felt comfortable in telling Rhade her fears, and Rhade knew that he could be himself with the gentle young woman.

One day, while spending time with Rhade, Trance decided that she wanted to play a game. "What game would you like to play?" asked Rhade, confident that that he would know any game that she suggested.

"Hmm," she said, putting her finger to her lip while she thought. "I want to play tag."

"Tag...What is that?" asked Rhade curiously.

"It's a game where one person has to catch the other. You are safe if you get back to base."

"What will base be?"

"We can play it in storage room 1A, and base can be the door. Oh... and you... the one doing the chasing... have to wear a blindfold."

"Why me?"

"Don't you want to chase me... and catch me?" asked Trance, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Rhade smiled wickedly, and said, "Well, maybe that does sound like fun. Let's go."

"You have to catch me first," giggled Trance, running for the storage area with Rhade hot on her heels. When they got there, Trance convinced Rhade to let her blindfold him, and they started their game. Trance was caught rather quickly by Rhade, who was able to use his heightened Nietzchean senses to find her. He grabbed Trance tightly around the waist, enjoying her squeak of surprise at being caught so quickly.

It was now Trance's turn to find Rhade. She moved quickly, had very sharp hearing, and was able to catch Rhade nearly as quickly as he had caught her. Wrapping her arms around Rhade's neck and her tail around his waist, she kissed the cheek of the surprised Nietzchean, quickly tied the blindfold around his eyes and bounced away laughing.

Rhade had difficulty finding Trance this time around. She seemed to be trying to keep especially quiet. He then heard a sound nearby. He reached out his hands and grabbed at the air in front of him, hoping to catch hold of Trance. '_There_,' he thought, '_I caught her_.' But when he heard a familiar voice, he knew that it wasn't his little Trance's uniform in his grip. He abruptly let go, and yanked off the blindfold.

Dylan's blue eyes looked at Rhade with amusement as he said, "Hi Rhade. I needed something from storage. What are you and Trance up to?" he asked, as Trance moved to stand beside Rhade.

Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Rhade spoke. "We're practicing... hunting techniques. It's very important to keep in shape."

"I see," said Dylan,trying to hold back a smile. "Carry on, then." To Trance, he whispered, "Have fun with Rhade."

"I will," giggled Trance, earning a glare from Rhade. When Dylan left the room, Rhade grabbed Trance and growled, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I like having fun with you," replied Trance. "Didn't you have fun?" she asked, looking anxiously up at the very handsome, but slightly irritated Nietzchean male.

Suddenly, Rhade grinned. "Yes, I had fun with you... but don't you dare tell anyone."

"I won't have to," grinned Trance smugly. "We didn't put on Privacy Mode."

"Arrgh!" said Rhade, and proceeded to chase Trance all the way to her quarters, both of them laughing. He kissed her gently, and then said, "Good-night, my little imp."

"Good-night," said Trance.

**-TBC-**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

In the middle of the night, Rhade woke to alarms ringing all over the _Andromeda_. He pulled on a shirt, pants, and boots, and left his quarters in a big hurry. He met Dylan on his way to Command, and the rest of the crew soon appeared. Rommie was already in Command, and reported that an unidentified vessel was blocking their path. When Trance caught sight of the ship, she gasped. She started to slip to her knees, but seeing this, Rhade caught her before she could fall. Quickly accessing the reason for her distress, Rhade asked Trance who was in the ship.

"It's my people," she said simply, as a group of people with features and coloring similar to Trance's, appeared in a flash of white light. The silver-haired woman in the group turned to face Dylan. "You are Captain Dylan Hunt?"

"Yes," said Dylan, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

The tall purple-hued woman laughed quietly. "You may find that we know many things, Captain. I am Tryselle Gemini, Queen of the Elves of Elysia. Trance is my daughter." A stunned silence followed this statement. "I see that this is a shock, Captain, but I assure you it is true."

Dylan looked toward Trance, who was wrapped securely in Rhade's arms. She was very pale, holding onto Rhade as if her life depended on him. "Trance," began Dylan. Trance swallowed the lump in her throat, and answered. "Yes, it's true. This is my mother, and I am a princess of the Elves."

"Daughter," said Tryselle, "I am here to take you home to Elysia. It is time for you to marry, and take your proper place at my side."

"No, Mother... I can't leave the _Andromeda_. This is my home. My friends are here."

"Who is this man holding you?" said Tryselle, in a voice that chilled the room.

"I am Gaheris Rhade, my queen," he said, bowing as best he could, while continuing to hold Trance safely in one arm.

"Well, at least he has manners," said the queen, turning her gaze to Trance once more. "He is quite handsome, but he is not an elf."

"He's not purple, either," cut in Harper. Harper shut his mouth instantly after Rhade and all of the elves shot dirty looks at him.

Ignoring Harper's outburst, the queen continued. "Have you chosen him?" she asked, a sad look in her blue-purple eyes.

Trance now looked up into Rhade's dark eyes. What she read there, gave her the answer she sought. She turned and said, "Yes, mother. I have chosen him."

Crystal tears stood in the queen's eyes. "You know what this means, my child. Are you sure about this man?"

"Yes, mother... I am sure." Trance said firmly, without hesitation.

Tryselle turned her attention to Rhade. "I know of the grievous crime committed against you by one of my people. The elf was punished. You have my people's most sincere apology... if you will accept it."

Rhade bowed to the queen. "I sincerely accept your apology."

"We thank you for your acceptance. I now charge you, Gaheris Rhade, with the happiness and protection of Trance Gemini, Crown Princess of the Elves of Elysia. For marrying a mortal, Trance will never be allowed to see her home again. Do you accept this responsibility?"

"I do, my queen," said Rhade, taking Trance's hands into his own large ones.

"For this, I present you with the gifts of an Elven Prince. I now present ...Prince Gaheris Rhade.

At this announcement, all the elves in the queen's escort bowed to Rhade, honoring him with his new title. Tryselle embraced her daughter and said, "I will miss you, my child, but you have done well with this man. I see great happiness for you."

"Thank you, mother...I will miss you, too."

Trance and her mother said farewell, and the elves disappeared once again in a burst of white light. Then their ship shot away from the _Andromeda_ at a seemingly impossible speed.

"Wow!" said Harper. "Purple elves...Trance is a princess... Rhade's a prince..."

"Shhh, Harper," said Dylan, "I think Rhade and Trance need to go talk in private."

Trance giggled, and Rhade looked at Dylan with a smirk. "Actually, we won't need to talk. We... Apparently Elves are telepaths."

Dylan stared at Trance and Rhade. "The queen gave you magical powers?"

"Not exactly," said Trance. "Mother made Rhade an Elven Prince. That gives him telepathic powers and long life like me."

"Okay," nodded Dylan. "How long?"

"Oh... probably 5000 years or so," said Trance nonchalantly.

"WHAT?!" hollered Dylan, Rhade, Rommie, Tyr, Rev, and Beka. Harper had already fainted.

After Harper revived, he said, "Wow Trance, You're like... an almost immortal purple babe."

"She's **mine**, Harper," growled Rhade.

"Okay, okay. In a thousand years or so... if I'm around and you're tired of her..."

Rhade growled louder and came after Harper, who quickly hid behind Trance. "Be good, Harper," said Trance sternly. "Or you can't come to our wedding."

"I'm good, I'm good... The Harper is good."

"When do you want the wedding?" asked Dylan, smiling at Rhade's jealousy.

"Right now," said Rhade. "Oh... and my bride wants Rommie for her maid of honor."

"Stop doing that... that mind thing!" exclaimed Beka. "You're freaking me out!"

"**You're** freaked out? What about me?" asked Harper, eyeing Rhade warily.

"Be quiet, Harper," said Beka. "You'll miss the wedding."

Dylan now performed the ceremony with all the crew present. To everyone's shock, Rhade chose Harper as his best man, because he was actually very fond of the sometimes annoying little genius.

When Rhade and Trance were alone, they exchanged intricately designed double helix bracelets made of pure silver. Rhade was now an Elven Prince, but he was still very much a Nietzchean, with great pride and a deep love for his people's traditions. Dylan dropped Trance and Rhade off at a beautiful planet nearby, that was very suitable for a honeymoon getaway.

And so, Gaheris Rhade, Big Bad Nietzchean / Elven Prince, and Trance Gemini, Elven Princess, learned to live together as one.

**-The End- **


End file.
